Scuba Diving in Hong Kong: What You Need to Know

Just keep swimming…

Are you constantly looking for new things to do in the city, trying to get out of the Central bubble, or impress visitors with Hong Kong’s diversity? Well, have you thought about scuba diving? Yep, you heard that right! You really can go diving in Hong Kong, so we sent scuba diver Sarah Richard of www.girlsthatscuba.com to find out more!

Scuba diving in Hong Kong? Now, this is something I’ve wanted to write about for a long time. If you were even able to read those first five words without raising your eyebrows then you are a lot less judgemental than I am. For months now people have been asking me about scuba diving in Hong Kong – what it’s like – and I’ve never been able to answer. Until now! After all, what kind of scuba dive writer would I be if I hadn’t dived in my current city? So let’s see what it’s all about..

What do I need to scuba dive in Hong Kong?

Mainly just a sense of adventure, and a love for the ocean! As always with scuba diving anywhere in the world, you need to be Open Water certified to dive, however, if you want to just give it a try for the first time you can do a Discover Scuba Dive to give you an insight into what it feels like to breathe underwater (read more about learning to dive here). Apart from that, not much else. You can hire all the equipment from the dive shop you are with, and the only other small things you will need are sunscreen and water.

What can I see while diving in HK?

Surprisingly a lot more than you would first think. I have to admit, I went in expecting not to see a lot more than a few trash bags and old shoes. However, I was shocked to see shoals of fish, cute ‘nemos’ (clown fish) everywhere and even a ray. Of course, this is the ocean we are talking about, and is completely unpredictable, so you really never know what you will see on a day to day basis, but what I saw was beautiful and I came up in shock!

What company should I dive with?

My recommendation is the wonderful Splash Hong Kong! Their office and boat are in Sai Kung and they sail around the outer islands finding the best dive sites for the current weather and water conditions. We stopped off at Wang Chau dive site, which is about 40-mins from Sai Kung pier. Splash offer all PADI courses, as well as the Discover Scuba Dive if it’s your first time diving. They also organise trips abroad for divers, getting together the scuba dive community in Hong Kong and travelling to the world’s best dive sites. Their latest one is to Palau at Christmas – a bucket list destination for any diver!

How much is it?

This will depend on what company you go with, but with Splash Hong Kong it is:

Shore diving (Clearwater Bay area) Two dives – $500

Boat diving (Sai Kung area) Two dives plus lunch – $620

Equipment rental – $250 per day

Is the water warm?

If you go in the summer months, yes. I went in October and I was perfectly warm in a long wetsuit; in fact I probably could have dived in a shortie, but a long one is more comfortable. The sea temperature was 27c and the outside was 28c. Ah, you’ve got to love Hong Kong in October – my favorite time of year!

My experience diving in Hong Kong made me love this city even more. How many other places in the world can you be in a skyscraper one minute and then finding Nemo the next? Hong Kong, you are wonderful!

Sarah Richard

Sarah realised the security and routine of her life in the UK wasn’t for her any more and upped and left 5 years ago to start travelling the world as a scuba dive instructor and freelance writer. Landing in Hong Kong on a 4 day layover she fell immediately in love with the city and decided this was the place she wanted to hang up her backpack for a while. She now runs her travel blog www.coffeewithasliceoflife.com as well as working in media in her favourite city in the world; Hong Kong.